This invention relates to golf greens mowers, and more particularly to reel type precision mowers for accurately cutting the grass on golf greens to an exact height, which have forwardly and rearwardly disposed ground contacting rollers on either side of a cutting reel and bedknife for cutting the grass.
Mowers of this type are generally adjusted for cutting height by raising or lowering one of the ground contacting rollers, either the forward or the rearward one relative to the cutting reel. Numerous patents in the art show ways for doing this in a precise and repeatable manner for providing the precise grass height on greens to insure the desired playing conditions. The grass on greens is cut with such precision that it has been found that if the grass clippings are allowed to build up on the ground contacting roller, that it can change the height of cut sufficiently over time to effect the playing condition of the green surface.
This generally in the past has necessitated frequent cleaning of the ground contacting rollers, particularly when the greens are wet and has been an inconvenience and an undesirable cost in the maintenance of the golf greens.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,021,996 to Bartlett, there is a power driven helical brush positioned adjacent the rear ground contacting roller when in the low greens cutting position for removing cut grass clippings, dirt, etc. In the "collar" grass cutting position the roller is ineffective, Bartlett not believing it necessary for that application.
The Bartlett reference, while showing a means for cleaning the rear ground contacting roller when in the low greens cutting position, provides a brush type roller that not only will wear over time and require frequent replacement, but it also being in a helical configuration, will allow grass to be thrown up and accumulate between revolutions of the ground contacting roller so that over time a build up can gradually occur, even though the brush hits the ground contacting roller once every three, four, or five revolutions, as the case may be. Thus, while Bartlett was an improvement over the prior art at the time of the filing of the Bartlett patent, this showing had inherent limitations which to some degree prevented its universal adoption and use.
Applicant has found with the present invention that instead of the complicated belt driven cylindrical helical brush of the Bartlett reference, that a simple rotatably mounted rod in frictional contact with the ground contacting roller (both forward and rearward) will prevent buildup of grass clippings and maintain the precise adjustment of the cutting height.